Expert thought

In view of the restrictive 2018 Luhansk People’s Republic statute, it is not surprising that some groups declined to apply for registration, while others were refused. The result is that many religious communities find themselves outside the law…. the 48 Baptist Union congregations have had to cease their activity altogether.

Religious Studies

In the context of recent events in the Orthodox world, disputes over the boundaries of church institutions often arise between the Patriarchate of Constantinople, Kyiv and Moscow. Ukraine accuses Russia of misappropriating the territory of the Kyiv Metropolis. In its turn, Moscow appeals to the fact that the ancient Kyiv Metropolis differs from the territory of modern Ukraine. RISU decided to clarify this topic, getting advice from historians. Based on this research, we prepared an infographic.

The first question that arises concerning Ukraine is this: with what right and based on which holy canons, does Russia today claim the ecclesiastical and administrative dependency of the Metropolis of Kyiv?

Calendar

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew sent a letter to Archbishop Anastasios, ​​the Primate of the Albanian Church. In it, he once again emphasizes that he acted according to the ecclesiastical tradition, using the privileges that the Constantinople Patriarchate was vested with by the Ecumenical Councils. He provides historical examples that the Ecumenical Patriarch approved autocephaly and patriarchy, as well as reinstated the exiled bishops, TVA reports citing Tserkvarium.

“Patriarch Bartholomew also reminded that since the throne of Constantinople was the highest appellate instance in the Orthodox Church, he considered requests from former metropolitans of Kyiv Filaret and Makariy of Lviv. Bartholomew also sent to Archbishop Anastasios a copy of an academic and theological study on the validity of the schismatic bishop consecrations, drafted by Metropolitan Vasyl of Smyrna.

As examples of overcoming the split, the Ecumenical Patriarch refers to Meletians and Novatians, Greek-Bulgarian schism and the split between the ROC and the ROCA - all of them were resolved and the schismatics were received in their rank, and no one was ordained anew, their ordination was acknowledged. The Russian Orthodox Church loves to solemnly declare that in no case one can legalize the split, but in 2007, on the initiative of Vladimir Putin, they themselves legalized the split, uniting with the Russian foreign abroad,” the statement reads.

Thus, Patriarch Bartholomew responded to the claims made by representatives of the Local Churches regarding the legitimacy and validity of the ordinations of the hierarchs of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and of His Beatitude Metropolitan Epifaniy.

The publication notes that perhaps after such an exhaustive answer, the process of recognition of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine will intensify, since the main controversial issue – that of the validity of ordination - is resolved.